Shimmer and shine

Hong Kong is passé; Macau is the new destination for moneybags in China. Its casinos, always its star attraction, were one of the reasons it was given the same status as Hong Kong — that of a Special Administrative Region — after its handover from Portugal in 1999. Gambling is banned in China, but could continue in the ‘one country, two systems’ pattern that governs Hong Kong and Macau.

Till a year ago, the gold façade of Casino Lisboa dominated Macau. But the last two years have seen a spurt of gigantic casinos as the biggest American players have entered this tiny city. Inspired by Las Vegas, the authorities have reclaimed the sea between two of Macau’s islands. The Cotai Strip will soon become Asia’s Las Vegas strip, expected to outstrip the latter in revenue.

Throngs of open-mouthed visitors can be seen at any time of the day outside the new giant casinos, the latest being the Venetian — the biggest casino in the world, spread over 10.5 million sq feet. This gigantic resort, the second largest building in the world, supposedly large enough to hold 90 Boeing 747 jumbo jets, has Venice-like streetscapes, gondolas et al.